Circulating Small Extracellular Vesicles Reflect the Severity of Myocardial Damage in STEMI Patients.

Circulating small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) contribute to inflammation, coagulation and vascular injury, and have great potential as diagnostic markers of disease. The ability of sEVs to reflect myocardial damage assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is unknown. To fill this gap, plasma sEVs were isolated from 42 STEMI patients treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) and evaluated by CMR between days 3 and 6.

GALAD outperforms aMAP and ALBI for predicting HCC in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease: A 12-year prospective study.

Background And Aims: Surveillance programs are strongly recommended in patients with liver cirrhosis for early detection of HCC development. Six-monthly ultrasound sonography is the most reliable and commonly used technique, especially when associated with serum determination of α-fetoprotein, but different score systems have been proposed to overcome the unsatisfactory diagnostic accuracy of α-fetoprotein. The aim of this 12-year prospective study is to compare the gender, age, AFP-L3, AFP, des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (GALAD) versus age, gender, bilirubin, albumin, and platelets and albumin-bilirubin scores in predicting HCC onset.

Migraine in Patients Undergoing PFO Closure: Characterization of a Platelet-Associated Pathophysiological Mechanism: The LEARNER Study.

The association between migraine and patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been documented. We aimed to investigate platelet activation, prothrombotic phenotype, and oxidative stress status of migraineurs with PFO on 100 mg/day aspirin, before and 6 months after PFO closure. Data show that, before PFO closure, expression of the classical platelet activation markers is comparable in patients and aspirin-treated healthy subjects.

Mercaptoalbumin Is Associated with Graft Patency in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery still represents the gold standard for patients with complex multivessel coronary artery disease. However, graft occlusion still occurs in a significant proportion of CABG conduits, and oxidative stress is currently considered to be a potential contributor. Human serum albumin (HSA) represents the main antioxidant in plasma through its reduced amino acid Cys34, which can efficiently scavenge several oxidants.

Comparison between PtCO and PaCO and Derived Parameters in Heart Failure Patients during Exercise: A Preliminary Study.

Evaluation of arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO) and dead space to tidal volume ratio (V/V) during exercise is important for the identification of exercise limitation causes in heart failure (HF). However, repeated sampling of arterial or arterialized ear lobe capillary blood may be clumsy. The aim of our study was to estimate PaCO by means of a non-invasive technique, transcutaneous PCO (PtCO), and to verify the correlation between PtCO and PaCO and between their derived parameters, such as V/V, during exercise in HF patients.

Plasma Exosome Profile in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients with and without Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

The identification of new biomarkers allowing an early and more accurate characterization of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is still needed, and exosomes represent an attractive diagnostic tool in this context. However, the characterization of their protein cargo in relation to cardiovascular clinical manifestation is still lacking. To this end, 35 STEMI patients (17 experiencing resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA-STEMI) and 18 uncomplicated) and 32 patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) were enrolled.

Soluble Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products regulates age-associated Cardiac Fibrosis.

Myocardial aging increases the cardiovascular risk in the elderly. The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) is involved in age-related disorders. The soluble isoform (sRAGE) acts as a scavenger blocking the membrane-bound receptor activation.

Modulation of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products isoforms and advanced glycation end products in long-living individuals.

Circulating levels of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) correlate with aging/cardiovascular risk, which is delayed in long-living individuals (LLIs). AGEs/sRAGE isoforms (cleaved RAGE [cRAGE] and secretory RAGE [esRAGE]) ratio is a valuable marker for disease risk. We evaluated circulating sRAGE isoforms, and AGEs in LLIs (n = 95; 90-105 years) and controls (n = 94; 11-89 years).

Potential Relation between Plasma BDNF Levels and Human Coronary Plaque Morphology.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) patients are at high ischemic risk, and new biomarkers reflecting atherosclerotic disease severity and coronary plaque vulnerability are required. The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) affects endothelial and macrophage activation suggesting its involvement in atherosclerotic plaque behavior. To investigate whether plasma BDNF is associated with in vivo coronary plaque features, assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT), in both acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stable angina (SA) patients, we enrolled 55 CAD patients (31 SA and 24 AMI), and 21 healthy subjects (HS).

Montelukast Use Decreases Cardiovascular Events in Asthmatics.

Cysteinyl leukotrienes are proinflammatory mediators with a clinically established role in asthma and a human genetic and preclinical role in cardiovascular pathology. Given that cardiovascular disease has a critical inflammatory component, the aim of this work was to conduct an observational study to verify whether the use of a cysteinyl leukotriene antagonist, namely, montelukast, may protect asthmatic patients from a major cardiovascular event and, therefore, represent an innovative adjunct therapy to target an inflammatory component in cardiovascular disease. We performed an observational retrospective 3-year study on eight hundred adult asthmatic patients 18 years or older in Albania, equally distributed into two cohorts, exposed or nonexposed to montelukast usage, matched by age and gender according to information reported in the data collection.

The microRNA-34a-Induced Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) Favors Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Calcification.

The senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), characterized by the acquisition of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), is relevant for VSMCs osteoblastic differentiation and vascular calcification (VC). MicroRNA-34a (miR-34a) is a driver of such phenomena and could play a role in vascular inflammaging. Herein, we analyzed the relationship between miR-34a and the prototypical SASP component IL6 in in vitro and in vivo models.

Association of Microvesicles With Graft Patency in Patients Undergoing CABG Surgery.

Background: Graft patency is one of the major determinants of long-term outcome following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Biomarkers, if indicative of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, would suggest strategies to limit graft failure. The prognostic value of microvesicles (MVs) for midterm graft patency has never been tested.

Data on the association between a simplified Mediterranean diet score and the incidence of combined, cardio and cerebro vascular events.

Data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "" [Veglia et al., 2018]. Data contain information about the incidence of cardiovascular events in a high-risk European population (IMPROVE study) [Baldassarre et al.

Modulation of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) isoforms and their ligands in healthy aging.

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) recognizes several ligands involved in inflammatory diseases. Two circulating soluble isoforms exist: esRAGE derived from alternative splicing and cRAGE generated by the membrane-bound RAGE (FL-RAGE) proteolysis. Together, esRAGE and cRAGE constitute sRAGE and function as decoy receptors preventing FL-RAGE/ligands binding.

A priori-defined Mediterranean-like dietary pattern predicts cardiovascular events better in north Europe than in Mediterranean countries.

Background: The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a model of healthy eating contributing to a favorable health status, but its clinical usefulness is still debated. The aim of this study was to relate the adherence to MD with the incidence of cardio/cerebro-vascular events (VEs) in north and south European participants of the IMPROVE study.

Methods: IMPROVE is an observational, longitudinal, prospective cohort study involving 3703 individuals from five European countries (Finland, Sweden, Netherlands, France and Italy).

Association of lifelong occupation and educational level with subclinical atherosclerosis in different European regions. Results from the IMPROVE study.

Background And Aims: We aimed to examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and subclinical atherosclerosis, as assessed by carotid intima-media-thickness (C-IMT) and to investigate whether the effect of social inequality on C-IMT is mediated by cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and whether it is dissimilar in men and women, and in different European countries.

Methods: We assessed the association of lifelong occupation and educational level with C-IMT in the IMPROVE study cohort including 3703 subjects (median age 64.4 years; 48% men) from Southern (Italy), Western (France and the Netherlands) and Northern Europe (Finland and Sweden).

Carotid plaque-thickness and common carotid IMT show additive value in cardiovascular risk prediction and reclassification.

Background And Aims: Carotid plaque size and the mean common carotid intima-media thickness measured in plaque-free areas (PF CC-IMT) have been identified as predictors of vascular events (VEs), but their complementarity in risk prediction and stratification is still unresolved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the independence of carotid plaque thickness and PF CC-IMT in cardiovascular risk prediction and risk stratification.

Methods: The IMPROVE-study is a European cohort (n = 3703), where the thickness of the largest plaque detected in the whole carotid tree was indexed as cIMT.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on statins for the prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients with and without acute coronary syndromes.

Objectives: We assessed whether short-term, pre-procedural, intensive statin treatment may reduce contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) incidence in patients with and without acute coronary syndromes (ACS) undergoing coronary angiography (CA) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Statins may exert renal-protective effects through their pleiotropic properties. However, there have been conflicting reports on the CI-AKI preventive effect of pre-procedural statin administration.

Potentially spurious correlations between arterial size, flow-mediated dilation, and shear rate.

The use of indices formed from the ratio of 2 variables often generates spurious correlations with other variables that are mathematically coupled. In this context, we examined the correlations between percent flow-mediated dilation, baseline diameter, and shear rate. In a sample of 315 participants, with and without substantial vascular risk factors, the observed correlation coefficients between the variables were of a similar magnitude to those reported in the literature.

Atrial fibrillation after thoracic surgery for lung cancer: use of a single cut-off value of N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide to identify patients at risk.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-known complication occurring after thoracic surgery. B-type natriuretic peptide has recently been investigated as a predictive marker of postoperative AF after cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate a definite cut-off for N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in predicting postoperative AF in lung cancer patients.

Cardiopulmonary bypass duration is an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if there is a direct relationship between the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB time [CPBT]) and postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Cardiac surgery unit, university hospital.

Permanent atrial fibrillation affects exercise capacity in chronic heart failure patients.

Aims: The influence of permanent atrial fibrillation on exercise tolerance and cardio-respiratory function during exercise in heart failure (HF) is unknown.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively compared the results of 942 cardiopulmonary exercise tests, performed consecutively at seven Italian laboratories, in HF patients with atrial fibrillation (n = 180) and sinus rhythm (n = 762). By multivariable logistic regression analysis, peak VO(2) (OR 0.